While the Vatican has for five decades taught that Jews weren’t collectively responsible, Jewish scholars said Wednesday the argument laid out by the German-born pontiff, who has had his share of mishaps with Jews, was significant and would help fight anti-Semitism today.

“There’s a natural human tendency to take things for granted, and very often this tends to lead to a lapse in awareness and consciousness” about the risk of anti-Semitism, said Rabbi David Rosen, head of interreligious affairs at the American Jewish Committee and a longtime leader in Vatican-Jewish dialogue.

He noted that the Vatican issued its most authoritative document on the issue in its 1965 Second Vatican Council document “Nostra Aetate,” which revolutionized the Catholic Church’s relations with Jews by saying Christ’s death could not be attributed to Jews as a whole at the time or today.

(“True, the Jewish authorities and those who followed their lead pressed for the death of Christ,” the Vatican said in its declaration on the Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Religions. “Still, what happened in His passion cannot be charged against all the Jews, without distinction, then alive, nor against the Jews of today.”)

Benedict comes to the same conclusion, but he explains how with a thorough, Gospel-by-Gospel analysis that leaves little doubt that he deeply and personally believes it to be the case.

Rosen said the pope’s words might make a bigger, more lasting mark because the faithful tend to read Scripture and commentary more than church documents, particularly old church documents.

Benedict goes through each biblical story of Jesus’ death and specifically clarifies the phrase from Matthew’s account of the crucifixion “His blood be on us and on our children,” which has been used to place blame and guilt on the Jewish people for killing Jesus.

Benedict clarified that Jesus’ death wasn’t about punishment, but rather salvation, the AP reported. Jesus’ blood, he said, “does not cry out for vengeance and punishment, it brings reconciliation. It is not poured out against anyone, it is poured out for many, for all.”

Indeed, without Jesus’ death and burial, there could be no resurrection, the most central, hopeful, significant event in the Christian faith.

He also reviews a passage from John that seems to call out the Jews. From the Catholic News Service:

“Now we must ask: Who exactly were Jesus’ accusers? Who insisted that he be condemned to death?” the pope wrote. He noted that the Gospel of St. John says simply it was “the Jews.”

“But John’s use of this expression does not in any way indicate — as the modern reader might suppose — the people of Israel in general, even less is it ‘racist’ in character. After all, John himself was ethnically a Jew, as were Jesus and all his followers,” he said.

What St. John was referring to with the term “the Jews,” the pope said, was the “temple aristocracy,” the dominant priestly circle that had instigated Jesus’ death.

The explicit exoneration of the Jewish people may do more to improve the church’s relations with the Jewish community, which have been shaken by Benedict’s past as a member of the Hitler Youth in Nazi German, his papal decision to lift excommunication for a bishop who denied that Jews were gassed during World War II and his veneration of Pope Pius, who some Jews believe should have done more to prevent the Holocaust, the AP said.

37 Responses

It was white males that crucified Jesus and did all the other crimes in the last 2000 years. They have become the scapegoats of the world. We hoped for forgiveness but it’s no longer in the Pope we hope.

Are there really people who blame individual living Jews for the death of Christ? Or who think that every living Jew at the time unanimously voted to kill Jesus? So either this book is adressing a straw man or is it written for a vanishingly small minority. In either case, it’s a worthless effort. Well done, Pope. Buy yourself another pair of ruby slippers.

I just can’t believe that for over 2000 years we have been blaming anyone for it other than ourselves. What part of The Lords Prayer and Jesus comment afterwards don’t many Christians get?

“Matt 6:9 “This, then, is how you should pray: ” ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. ”

“Matt 6:14 For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” (NIV)

The Romans killed ANYBODY who looked like they might be a threat to their power. The historical Jesus ( and maybe other Jesus like holy men ) was no doubt killed by the Romans. They may have bribed a few Jews to pretend like they wanted him killed. If that happened, they did their nation no favors because for centuries, ignorant people have blamed them for the work of the Romans.

You know they say that all people have to go through some rough times. thats why us the jews are getting ours out of the way early. After this is gonna be nothing but smooth sailing. (While Building the Pyramids) Family Guy

There is a rationalistic view that Jesus survived the crucifixion and therefore no one is to blame for his death. However, the Jews did believe that they had succeeded in having him crucified and therefore, according to them, he died an accursed death, albeit, on the Cross, in accordance to Deuteronomy 21:23, which means he could not have been the expected Messiah. Orthodox Jews are still waiting for the appearance of the Messiah. The Christians maintain that whilst Jesus did die on the cross, he then rose from his death after 3 days, met his disciples then ascended to heaven. Christians believe that Jesus will return in the latter days. The Orthodox Muslims believe that Jesus did not even make it to crucifixion and instead God switched Jesus for an imposter lookalike who paid the price of death instead and raised him up to Himself. Mainstream Muslims too believe that Jesus will return in the latter days.

However, in examining the Gospels one finds compelling evidence that Jesus did not die on the cross but survived it. And Jesus knew that God would ultimately save him but at what hour not even Jesus knew. But he did give a clue that he would survive death by giving the sign of Jonah, who was swallowed by the fish (alive!) and spewed out after 3 days (alive!)

Jesus was put on trail at the Sanhedrin council in front of the high priest Caiaphas. He was ultimately imprisoned and given a flogging by the Romans to appease the Jewish crowd who were calling for his death. But Pontius Pilate, did not want to crucify Jesus on account of his wife who had recognized Jesus as a man of God. But Pontius Pilate was forced into a quagmire which jeopardized his own position as Prefect. So ultimately, he had no choice but to put Jesus on the Cross. But he did it on the day of Shabbat and according to the halakha, a person cannot be crucified during this observance. Jesus was, according to one Gospel writer, on the cross for a min of 3 hrs and by another’s account, for 6 hrs neither long enough to cause death. According to John, Jesus from the cross complains of thirst. In reply, he is given a sponge allegedly soaked in vinegar. Rather ab act of cruelty, vinegar — or soured wine — is a temporary stimulant with the effects similar to smelling salts. As such, it was often used to resuscitate flagging slaves on galleys. For a wounded and exhausted man a sniff or taste of vinegar produces a restorative effect, a momentary surge of energy. And yet in Jesus’ case, his reaction is to utter his last words and “give up the ghost” which is what it would seem like to a witness but it could also mean falling unconscious.

In the Greek version of the Gospels, when Joseph of Arimetha asks for Jesus’ body, he used the word soma — a word applied only to a living body. According to the Gospel of Luke he was a physician. With Nicodemus, they applied Myrrh and Aloe which are ingredients found in antiseptic ointments today. Jews did not embalm their dead and 100 pounds of this antiseptic must have been used to heal the abrasions, wounds etc of Jesus.

Chapter 4 of the Quran clearly states that the Jews boasted that they had killed Jesus but in fact they did NOT succeed in slaying him (by the sword) or crucifying him (death by crucifixion) but followed only their own conjecture and were uncertain whether they had actually killed him and God indeed had risen the status of Jesus thereby proving that Jesus was not an accursed one of God.

maybe the pope should absolve the Catholic church of all the crimes it has committed. Stealing the concept of “saints” from pagans feasting at the graves of their clan, etc. ad infinitum. like most churches they continue to perfect the criminal enterprise that they are.

I’ve never seen so many people make posts that are thoroughly ignorant of the topic. Please, go read the Scriptures and find out for yourself why Jesus was crucified, when He knew about it, what He did to prevent it, who He blamed and for what purpose was it done.

Then come back and make a rational post, instead of what you may have heard someone say!

The Jewish leaders and mob said – “His blood be upon us and on our children”. Their guilt in condemning Jesus (an innocent man) cannot be confuted. They chose that Jesus be crucified among criminals, rather than set free. The Jewish leaders conspired to “frame” him and have him executed. Worse yet, contemporary Jews reject Jesus. In God’s justice system the Jews will not be judged corporately, they will be judged individually.

as EX Roman Catholic who was educated in Catholics schools till High School. i was always taught by the Jesuits that Jesus was Killed by the Evil Jews and We as Catholic should avoid all jews as Friend & Never go to a Jewish Temple or or Date a Jewish Girl.also christians should never Buy or Eat Jewish Foods. as i grew into adulthood i found out the catholic church & its teachings are based on lies & Falsehoods & Hate & not the word of God or Jesus his many appointed son’s the Bible lists many sons of God not Just Jesus.i Bid all Catholics to Get out of the Roman Pagan Church . its nothing but Mythology of Men and not of GOD !!